Role of an Attorney in a Houma Car Accident Claim

Before filing car accident claim, it can be critical for the injured party or their family to reach out to an attorney. The role of an attorney in a Houma car accident claim is to ensure that the injured party can determine their desired outcome for their claim and the possible strategies to achieve that. An individual should speak with a capable car accident attorney who is experienced in handling auto wreck cases in and out of the courtroom.

Local Court System in Houma

The role of an attorney in a Houma car accident claim is to help an individual present their claim. This can be done in one of two courts, the primary court or city court. The primary court is district court, the 32nd Judicial District Court for the Parish of Terrebonne. There are five judges in the district court. There is no limit on a jurisdictional amount. A car suit could be brought for damages for personal injuries from as small as $10,000 or less to an unlimited amount. In district court, cases can be tried by judges or juries depending on certain factors.

There is another court in Houma called City Court of Houma. It has a limited jurisdiction so no claims greater than $20,000 may be brought and there is no jury. At city court, any claim would be a small personal injury claim. Federal court in this area is in New Orleans. It is called the Eastern District of Louisiana. It has a number of federal judges. The judges are not elected. They are appointed by the President of the United States who is in office at the time an opening comes up, and they serve for life. They have to be approved by the United States Senate.

Presenting a Car Accident Case

To bring a car accident case in federal court in New Orleans, the parties against which the claim would be made have to be from a different state. If for example, somebody from Mississippi was in Houma, negligently violated the rules of the road and injured somebody from Louisiana, the parties would be citizens of different states. The jurisdiction is called diversity of citizenship jurisdiction.

If the case is worth more than $75,000 and the parties are from different states, there is jurisdiction and venue to prosecute a lawsuit in federal court in New Orleans. There are many other causes of actions that can be filed in federal court, such as maritime causes of action, civil rights cases of all kinds, and discrimination cases. For car crashes, there would have to be a diversity of citizenship of the parties. For more information about the role of an attorney in a Houma car accident claim, schedule a consultation today.

Learn More About the Role of an Attorney in Houma Car Accident Claims

It is important to retain experienced legal counsel when filing a Houma car accident claim. The role of an attorney in a Houma car accident claim is to apply their advanced knowledge about the law of the land, the judiciary, the judges that sit in the courts in Terrebonne Parish, and the citizens who make up the jury, in a way that it would be a benefit to your case.

Other ways in which a lawyer could help is knowing how to effectively handle a car crash case. A lawyer from Kopfler & Hermann can investigate it properly by getting the crash report and photographs from all sources such as from Houma City Police, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, or the Louisiana State Police. There are opportunities to obtain dash-cam and/or vest-cam videos from the investigating agencies if videos are part of their investigation. Contact our firm today to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced attorney.